1.1 What is the Holy Eucharist?
The Holy Eucharist is several realities rolled into one, or better, a multi-faceted Reality. We can define it as a SACRAMENT, a SACRIFICE, and a BANQUET, where the Lord Jesus--with His Body, His Blood, His Soul, His Divine Nature--is CONTAINED, OFFERED, and RECEIVED, under the APPEARANCES of bread and wine.
In this the holiest of all sacraments, Jesus Christ OFFERS himself to the FATHER as a VICTIM in an unbloody manner (HOLY MASS), NOURISHES the souls of the FAITHFUL as FOOD, and remains present in our midst--continues to DWELL among us--to ACCOMPANY us and to be ADORED by us.
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (271; cf CCC 1322-1323, 1409) defines the Holy Eucharist as follows:
The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus which he instituted to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until his return in glory. Thus he entrusted to his Church this memorial of his death and Resurrection. It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
1.2 How important is the Eucharist to each Christian and to the whole Church?
Saint Josemaria Escriva wrote (Letter 2 February 1945):
I have always taught you, my beloved daughters and sons, that the ROOT and the CENTRE of your spiritual life is the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar.
Ever since the foundation of Opus Dei in 1928, Saint Josemaria used to repeat this idea to many people in word and in writing. In the 1960s, the Second Vatican Council took up this idea, and proclaimed it as official Church teaching. In the document Lumen Gentium, no 11, it affirms that the Eucharist is the "SUMMIT and SOURCE of the Christian life." Moreover, the Church further teaches that it is not only the summit (or centre) and source (or root) of each Christian's life, but is indeed the summit and source of the entire Church's life and mission.
The CCCC (274; cf CCC 1324-1327, 1407) says:
It is the source and summit of all Christian life. In the Eucharist, the sanctifying action of God in our regard and our worship of him reach their high point. It contains the whole spiritual good of the Church, Christ himself, our Pasch. Communion with divine life and the unity of the People of God are both expressed and effected by the Eucharist. Through the Eucharistic celebration we are united already with the liturgy of heaven and we have a foretaste of eternal life.
The point quoted above shows us why this Sacrament is the most sublime and the most excellent, because it not only gives grace, like the other sacraments do-- it contains the AUTHOR OF GRACE himself. The grace that we receive in the sacraments is created by God. But in this sacrament, we not only receive grace, but the Creator of grace Himself, in Person!
We will recall what we have seen in a previous lesson, where the CCCC (no 270) states:
All of the sacraments are ordered to the Holy Eucharist "as to their end" (Saint Thomas Aquinas).
1.3 Promise and Institution
The importance of this Sacrament is also shown in the fact that the Lord spoke at length about it to prepare his followers to accept it. We find this PROMISE in chapter 6 of Saint John.
27 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal."
30 ... they said to him, ... " 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."
34 They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."
35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. ...
41 The Jews then MURMURED at him, because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." 42 They said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"
43 Jesus answered them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. ... 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
52 The Jews then DISPUTED among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56* He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58* This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caperna-um.
60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a HARD SAYING; who can listen to it?"
61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? ... 64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. ...
66 After this many of his disciples drew back and NO LONGER WENT ABOUT WITH HIM.
67 Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was to betray him.
At no point did Jesus try to downplay his words. He did not say they were symbolic. He meant what he said. This explains the shock of those who listened to him. Only a madman would speak in this way.
Jesus not only promised, he also carried out his word. As for the INSTITUTION, the CCC 1323 quotes Vatican II's Sacrosanctum Concilium (no 47):
"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'"
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke narrate it for us, and also Saint Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians.
Note how the action of taking, blessing, breaking and giving are also found in the preparatory miracle of the multiplication of the loaves narrated by Saint John in chapter 6 of his Gospel. This miracle is recorded by all four Evangelists, something truly extraordinary (see Introductory Lesson 2 on the relationship between the Synoptic Gospels and Saint John's Gospel).
Later on, it was the same actions that helped the two disciples of Emmaus recognise Jesus after his Resurrection. Saint Luke records in chapter 24:
30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?" 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, 34 who said, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The CCCC (275) summarises points 1328 to 1332 of the CCC:
The unfathomable richness of this sacrament is expressed in different names which evoke its various aspects. The most common names are: the Eucharist, Holy Mass, the Lord's Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharistic Celebration, the Memorial of the passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord, the Holy Sacrifice, the Holy and Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries, the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and Holy Communion.
Let us first discuss the SACRAMENTAL aspect. We will tackle the aspect of sacrifice in Lesson 20, then the aspect of nourishment and presence in Lesson 21.
3.1 Matter
The CCC (1412; cf 1333) teaches that
The essential signs of the Eucharistic sacrament are wheat bread and grape wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest pronounces the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper: "This is my body which will be given up for you.... This is the cup of my blood...."
3.1.1 Remote Matter
There are two essential and necessary elements for celebrating the Eucharist: [1] BREAD from wheat and [2] WINE from grapes. (Cf CCCC 279)
3.1.2 Proximate Matter
Three important actions are performed on these: they are [1] OFFERED; [2] the Holy Spirit is INVOKED and the bread and wine CONSECRATED; and [3] the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is CONSUMED (eaten). As one will notice, these are the three most important actions in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
3.2 Form
3.2.1 For the bread
"TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU."
3.2.2 For the wine
"TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME."
4.1 Priest (Offerer) and Victim (Offered)
The CCC (1410) tells us that the one who offers (the priest) and the one offered (the victim) is Jesus Christ Himself--He is both Sacerdos et Victima. But he makes use of the priest to carry out this sacrifice.
It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.
Saint Josemaria (homily "A Priest Forever," 13 April 1973) explains:
The sacrament of Orders, in effect, equips the priest to lend Our Lord his voice, his hands, his whole being. It is Jesus Christ who, in the Holy Mass, through the words of the consecration, changes the substance of the bread and wine into his Body, Soul, Blood and Divinity.
The CCCC (278; cf CCC 1348, 1411) asks "Who is the minister for the celebration of the Eucharist?"
The celebrant of the Eucharist is a validly ordained priest (bishop or priest) who acts in the Person of Christ the Head and in the name of the Church.
The priest is the minister, that is the SERVANT, who lends his own self to Jesus Christ, the Eternal and High Priest.
4.2 Priests of the New Covenant
In the Last Supper, Jesus commanded his Apostles--"Do this"--to celebrate the sacrifice he instituted until his return. By doing so, he makes them priests of the New Covenant, the New Testament. (Cf CCC 1337)
4.3 Only Validly Ordained Priests
A person has to be validly ordained before he can celebrate Mass. Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders no person has the power to change the bread and wine to Jesus' Body and Blood.
5.1 Baptised and Not Barred By Law
The Code of Canon Law, canon 912 says:
Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to Holy Communion.
When can children start receiving Holy Communion?
The Code of Canon Law states:
Can. 913 Sect. 1. The administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity and are able to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion.
Sect. 2. The Most Holy Eucharist, however, can be administered to children in danger of death if they can distinguish the body of Christ from ordinary food and receive communion reverently.
Who are responsible for preparing children for Communion?
Can. 914 It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and, AFTER they have made sacramental CONFESSION, are refreshed with this divine food as soon as possible. It is for the pastor to exercise vigilance so that children who have not attained the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed do not approach Holy Communion.
This is reiterated by CCC 1385 and 1415, citing the words of Saint Paul (I Corinthians 11:27-29):
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
Who are prevented by law from receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus?
Can. 915 Those who have been EXCOMMUNICATED or INTERDICTED after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.
Can. 916 A person who is CONSCIOUS OF GRAVE SIN is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.
Can one receive Holy Communion more than once a day?
Can. 917 A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the eucharistic celebration in which the person participates, without prejudice to the prescript of canon 921, Sect. 2.
Can one receive Holy Communion outside of Mass?
Can. 918 It is highly recommended that the faithful receive Holy Communion during the eucharistic celebration itself. It is to be administered outside the Mass, however, to those who request it for a just cause, with the liturgical rites being observed.
How about Eucharistic fast?
Can. 919 Sect. 1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least ONE HOUR before Holy Communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.
Sect. 2. A PRIEST who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or third celebration even if there is less than one hour between them.
Sect. 3. The ELDERLY, the INFIRM, and THOSE WHO CARE FOR THEM can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.
Is there an obligation to receive Holy Communion?
Can. 920 Sect. 1. After being initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, each of the faithful is obliged to receive Holy Communion AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.
Sect. 2. This precept must be fulfilled DURING THE EASTER SEASON unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at another time during the year.
Can. 921 Sect. 1. The Christian faithful who are IN DANGER OF DEATH from any cause are to be nourished by Holy Communion in the form of Viaticum.
Sect. 2. Even if they have been nourished by Holy Communion on the same day, however, those in danger of death are strongly urged to receive communion again.
Sect. 3. While the danger of death lasts, it is recommended that Holy Communion be administered often, but on separate days.
Can. 922 HOLY VIATICUM for the sick is not to be delayed too long; those who have the care of souls are to be zealous and vigilant that the sick are nourished by Viaticum while fully conscious.
Is it possible for a Catholics of the Latin Rite to receive the Eucharist in another rite?
Can. 923 The Christian faithful can participate in the Eucharistic sacrifice and receive Holy Communion in any Catholic rite, without prejudice to the prescript of canon 844.
(Click here to see an explanation of the different rites in the Catholic Church.)
5.2 External bearing
Worship involves both body and soul. In preparing to receive the Holy Eucharist, one must prepare not only his soul, but also his body. He must take care that the way he behaves and the way he dresses is in accord with the dignity of the Sacrament he is about to receive (cf CCCC 291; CCC 1387)--he has to dress in his Sunday best! The Holy Mass is not a tennis game, or a beach party. It is not a club meeting or a lunch gathering. It is a time for worship.
The Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 25 March 2004), gives additional guidelines.
[90] "The faithful should receive Communion kneeling or standing, as the Conference of Bishops will have determined," with its acts having received the recognitio of the Apostolic See. "However, if they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that they give due reverence before the reception of the Sacrament, as set forth in the same norms" [cf Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 160].
[91.] In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that "sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" [Code of Canon Law, can. 843 sect. 1; cf can. 915]. Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is NOT LICIT TO DENY Holy Communion to any of Christ's faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing.
[92.] Although each of the faithful always has the RIGHT TO RECEIVE Holy Communion ON THE TONGUE, at his choice [cf Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 161], if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand, in areas where the Bishops' Conference with the recognitio of the Apostolic See has given permission, the sacred host is to be administered to him or her. However, special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful [Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Dubium: Notitiae 35 (1999) pp. 160-161].
[93] The Communion-plate for the Communion of the faithful SHOULD BE RETAINED, so as to avoid the danger of the sacred host or some fragment of it falling [cf Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 118].
[94] It is NOT LICIT for the faithful "TO TAKE . . . BY THEMSELVES . . . and, still less, TO HAND . . . FROM ONE TO ANOTHER" the sacred host or the sacred chalice [cf Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 118]. Moreover, in this regard, the abuse is to be set aside whereby spouses administer Holy Communion to each other at a Nuptial Mass.
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in an interview with Peter Seewald (Light of the World, p 158) remarks:
I am not opposed in principle to communion in the hand; I have both administered and received Communion in this way myself. The idea behind my current practice of having people kneel to receive communion on the tongue was to send a signal and to underscore the Real Presence with an exclamation point. One very important reason is that there is a great danger of superficiality precisely in the kinds of mass events we hold at Saint Peter's, both in the Basilica and in the Square. I have heard of people who, after receiving Communion, stick the Host in their wallet to take home as a kind of souvenir. In this context, where people think that everyone is just automatically supposed to receive communion--everyone else is going up, so I will, too--I wanted to send a clear signal. I wanted it to be clear: Something quite special is going on here! He is here, the One before whom we fall on our knees! Pay attention! This is not just some social ritual in which we can take part if we want to.
5.3 Should one receive under both species?
The CCC (1390) explains this practice as follows:
Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive ALL THE FRUIT of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But "the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly." [General Instruction of the Roman Missal 240] This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites.
The Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum has this to say.
[101] In order for Holy Communion under both kinds to be administered to the lay members of Christ's faithful, due consideration should be given to the circumstances, as judged first of all by the diocesan Bishop. It is to be completely excluded WHERE EVEN A SMALL DANGER EXISTS OF THE SACRED SPECIES BEING PROFANED [cf Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 283] ...
[102] The chalice should NOT be ministered to lay members of Christ's faithful WHERE there is such a LARGE NUMBER OF COMMUNICANTS [cf Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, Instruction, Sacramentali Communione, 29 June 1970: AAS 62 (1970) p 665; Instruction, Liturgicae instaurationes, n 6a: AAS 62 (1970) p 699]that it is difficult to gauge the amount of wine for the Eucharist and there is a danger that "more than a reasonable quantity of the Blood of Christ remain to be consumed at the end of the celebration" [Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n. 285a]. The same is true wherever access to the chalice would be difficult to arrange, or where such a large amount of wine would be required that its certain provenance and quality could only be known with difficulty, or wherever there is not an adequate number of sacred ministers or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion with proper formation, or where a notable part of the people continues to prefer not to approach the chalice for various reasons, so that the sign of unity would in some sense be negated.
[103] The norms of the Roman Missal admit the principle that in cases where Communion is administered under both kinds, "the Blood of the Lord may be received either by drinking from the chalice directly, or by intinction, or by means of a tube or a spoon" [Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 245]. As regards the administering of Communion to lay members of Christ's faithful, the Bishops may exclude Communion with the tube or the spoon where this is not the local custom, though the option of administering Communion BY INTINCTION always remains. If this modality is employed, however, hosts should be used which are neither too thin nor too small, and the communicant should RECEIVE the Sacrament FROM THE PRIEST ONLY ON THE TONGUE [Missale Romanum, Institutio Generalis, n 285b and 287].
[104] The communicant MUST NOT BE PERMITTED TO INTINCT THE HOST HIMSELF in the chalice, nor TO RECEIVE the intincted host IN THE HAND. As for the host to be used for the intinction, it should be made of valid matter, also consecrated; it is altogether forbidden to use non-consecrated bread or other matter.